Dear friends, The good news here is that Turkey, at least for the time being, has withdrawn its troops from Iraqi Kurdistan. They threaten to return in the spring but it's hard to know how much of this is psychological warfare. It's also hard to know if and when villagers will return home. The other day we read an article about a Peshmerga officer who took down the American flag that was hanging in his office, folded it and put it away. It was his way of expressing the resignation of the Kurds relationship with the US. For the past week, Kurds have freely expressed their disappointment in the US government with us. It's been a difficult time but the people continue to welcome us here and want our CPT team to stay. We have cleared the way to come home for a month and then return for a more permanant stay in April. We will be able to have a rotating team so we will have a continuous presence but different people can come in and go out on a rotating basis. So I now I have a proposition: WANTED: ONE ENGLISH TEACHER TIME FRAME: JUNE 1 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 1 This can be the experience of a lifetime for anyone interested in spending a minimum of 2 hours a day with adult students who are able to speak some English. The need is for a native English speaker to encourage Kurdish students to speak conversationally in English. Teaching sentence structure and grammar will be part of the job, but the focus will be on helping to build confidence in students to converse in English. You do not need to speak Kurdish. This is much more than a teaching job. There is a strong belief that if the Kurdish people have an opportunity to learn English, it will strengthen their society and give them a better opportunity to interact with the larger world in ways that will benefit the world community. This is a chance to help with nation building through education. You are invited to be part of a tremendous endeavor. You will be provided with housing and pay. The director of the Prestige Language Institute will be your host and help acclimate you to the city of Suleimaniya. You will be welcomed with open arms and will experience an incredible sense of hospitality. Kurdistan is a relatively safe and secure region. As you've seen, that can change quickly. Although nobody can guarantee your safety with absolute assurance, there are many safety nets in place for foreigners. If security levels devolve, you will be able to leave quickly if necessary. If anyone is interested in learning more about this extraordinary opportunity, please let me know and I will be able to connect you directly with the Institute. If you have any questions, I will be home on March 12 for one month and you can call me at home. (218) 728-0629. Or you can email me anytime. Peace, Michele | 
